Mated To The Mafia Werewolves

Blaze stood outside the De Luca Villa on patrol after his discussion with Sandro and Annalise. Sandro had agreed for him to stay on patrol as he always did for the time being.

Not much had been said between him, Sandro, and Annalise, but with the limited information shared, he understood that Paolo Salvatore posed a threat to Sandro’s life. The reason behind it remained a mystery for now.

He also couldn’t shake the feeling that Annalise wasn’t revealing everything she knew. At times, she hesitated, and other times, she blurted out fragments, looking embarrassed afterward.

Her demeanor intrigued him, and he yearned for her to share more, suspecting she held valuable information. Yet, he doubted she’d be at ease doing so.

“Blaze, right?”

Startled, Blaze turned to find Annalise beside him. He hadn’t heard her approach. She tucked a strand of curly dark-brown hair behind her ear before casting her gaze downward.

“Depends on who’s asking and why,” Blaze replied.

Annalise nodded, managing a faint smile while stealing a glance at him. He somehow intimidated her, though she felt more at ease in his presence than she did with Sandro.

“You know my sister,” Annalise began.

“Janice?” Blaze inquired, straightening. As Annalise confirmed, he remarked, “A good girl in a tough crowd.”

“Tough crowd?” Annalise raised an eyebrow.

“We’re a tough crowd,” Blaze stated. “Getting involved with any gang is being in tough company. I’m sure you’re aware of that already.”

“I do,” Annalise acknowledged. “After all, I was born into one. As a werewolf, I don’t think anything could be more dangerous than that. Though, I’m yet to trigger my curse.”

Annalise winced, her gaze falling once again.

Blaze shook his head. He wanted to inquire why she hadn’t triggered her curse, but he refrained from pressing her. He wanted her to share it when she felt ready.

“My father coerced Janice into all she did. I promise she’d never spy on Allesandro. Given how harshly my father spoke about him, I doubted Janice would risk his wrath.”

Blaze shrugged. Even during Janice’s time in the De Luca household, she had tested Sandro’s patience numerous times and even challenged his authority on occasion. Yet, he had never retaliated.

He believed that the special treatment Sandro showed Janice stemmed from a sense of pity, a sentiment Blaze could relate to. If he were in Sandro’s shoes, he would have likely felt the same.

The first time he saw Janice, she was in the most pitiable state imaginable. She was skittish, and he initially thought of her as fragile, but Blaze understood the trauma she must have endured, for he, too had not been exempt.

“Our mother passed away shortly after naming us, right after our birth. I never had the chance to see her. There was no one to share stories about her, no family member to inquire about her appearance or… No…” Annalise shook her head, her brows furrowing.

“I came across an old photograph of her in one of her belongings. Our father had hidden it and destroyed the rest.” Annalise let out a sigh. “We were her mirror image, and I often wonder if she would have been happier with us had she been alive.”

“She would have been,” Blaze assured her. “From what I gather, you never did anything to deserve the mistreatment from your father. Your mother would have certainly protected you.”

“Perhaps and maybe die while doing so.” Annalise smiled wistfully.

“At the age of three, we were put to work on various manual tasks assigned by our father. If we disobeyed or showed any sign of weakness, we were met with blows and denied food for the day. Sometimes, we’d be confined to the dungeon.” Annalise gazed at her hand.

She recalled the chains that had encircled her wrists. She could still discern the now fading dark mark that had etched her skin for years. She shuddered, taking in a breath, willing the memory of her huddled in the cold, dim dungeon, which had been a part of her upbringing, to vanish.

“That’s horrible,” Blaze murmured, gently clasping her trembling hands.

“It was,” Annalise affirmed, her eyes welling up with tears.NôvelD(ram)a.ôrg owns this content.

She sniffled, holding back her tears, but Blaze held onto her hands, not letting go. “I always wished to be the stronger twin. I wanted to be there for Janice, to shield her from our father. But those thoughts were only in my head. In reality, I was the weaker twin, the one who endured the most taunts. This meant that Janice had to watch my back all the time. She bore the brunt of the punishment meant for me.”

Blaze listened intently, understanding that sometimes silence spoke louder than words. He sensed that Annalise simply needed someone to confide in.

“We were forced to grow up fast. By the age of sixteen, we knew every inch of the underground in Cooan. We took on even riskier tasks on our father’s orders, and failure wasn’t an option, as you can imagine.” Annalise let out a nervous laugh.

Blaze gazed at her, noticing the tears streaming down her cheeks. “I’m so sorry,” he said.

Annalise shrugged, wiping her tears. “I came to terms with my fate and believed I was born into the Salvatore family for a reason.”

“Why did Janice leave?” Blaze asked, trying to recall if Janice had been sixteen or eighteen when they first met her. He couldn’t quite remember, but he was sure she was around that age.

“We were being… assaulted.”

“By whom?” Blaze interjected with a low growl. “By your father?!”

Annalise nodded. “We were subjected to it from the age of three, and it only got worse as we got older. Everyone took part, and he never defended us. I wasn’t surprised, though, because he claimed he hated us, believing we were responsible for our mother’s death.”

“That’s horrifying,” Blaze stated.

“I’m not telling you this to elicit pity. I just want you to save Janice,” Annalise clarified. Then she added, “Janice wanted a different life for us. She wanted the abuse to end and vowed to do whatever our father asked to give us that chance. So, he started assigning us even riskier missions, and during one of them, Janice ran away. I never learned the exact reason, but it must have been related to spying on Alessandro.”

Blaze nodded. “What exactly does your father want with Alessandro, and why did you run away?”

Annalise hesitated, biting her lower lip and fidgeting with a loose thread on her dress.

“It’s fine if you don’t want to say. I won’t force you,” Blaze reassured her.

“My father wants to… give me away to one of his associates as his… Bedmate,” Annalise managed to say, wincing. Even vocalizing it made her question what Blaze might think of her.

Perhaps she was a mess, which wasn’t too far from the truth. Still, she forged ahead. She had shared all she needed to because she believed she could trust him. After reading Janice’s journal, she learned a lot about Blaze. If Janice trusted him, then so could she.

“My father told his associate, ‘He said Alessandro has something of his, and his daughter was sent to retrieve it for him.’ That’s when I realized he was exploiting Janice. I had to seize the opportunity to escape.” Annalise concluded, stealing a glance at Blaze.

She half-expected to find disgust and pity in his expression, but instead, she saw a steely determination. He rose to his feet.

“Please, save Janice, Blaze. You’re the only one I can confide in, and she’s not a bad person. I don’t want to lose the only family I have in this world,” Annalise whispered.

“I will save her,” Blaze affirmed, turning to face her. The resolve in his eyes was evident.

“I’ll ensure your father faces justice,” he vowed.

“My father is a formidable man. He’s an alpha and a mafia lord. He controls many of the gangs in Cooan, and I doubt he’d let anyone challenge him without a fight,” Annalise hurriedly explained. She was beginning to worry that involving Blaze might have been a mistake.

“You don’t know how tough I can be,” Blaze declared. “And don’t worry, Sandro has your back. No matter what, he protects his own,” he reassured her.

Sandro might project a harsh exterior, but there hadn’t been a moment when he needed help, and Sandro hadn’t extended a hand. They trusted each other, and he had faith in Sandro. The only complication was Arabella, though he had no regrets about desiring her.

“Thank you,” Annalise expressed, a sense of relief washing over her. “I believe that’s the assurance I was seeking. I need to go.”

She rose to her feet, walking back into the villa.

Blaze let out a sigh, his thoughts drifting back to Paolo Salvatore and how he would gather the necessary information for Sandro. Given what he had learned from Annalise, he believed it might be somewhat easier than anticipated.